Posted by kat on March 06, 2005 at 11:50:03:
In Reply to: Some random thoughts about Steve... posted by giveawayboy on March 06, 2005 at 04:19:12:
First I apologize for not being around here more and for not writing sooner to support and encourage my beloved friend...
I do agree and could not have said it better than Bill, I have to add that in addition to being a blessing as a teacher and a pastor, Steve has been a wonderful worship leader. He has encouraged us open up to God and to come together as one in worship.
Personally he has encouraged me musically to blossom as a singer and performer. Without his instruction and confidence in me, I don't think I would have the nerve to sing with a band. He has pushed me out of my comfort zone and that is invaluable to me.
Thank you my dear, dear friend for being exactly who you are!
But, I know what all this is really about and I can sum it up in one word-"Fifty"
Yeah, I know because pretty soon for me-"Forty" is the word for me (and Cari)
: Just a little paragraph to say what Steve has meant to me. Well, when I first met Steve, I was impressed that both he and Cari were reaching out to all kinds of people, esp. those who many in the church would have considered unlovable or beyond hope. They saw God in those people. I loved that about Steve and Cari. Later I came to know Steve as someone who wasn't just parroting the fads in the church world, but someone who really knew that at some point God had touched him and all he wanted to do was let others know that they too could come into God's presence and be touched as well. He devoted himself to that way of life. He sought to bring people into God's presence, like John the Baptist pointing out the Lamb of God. I came to know Steve as someone who was profoundly concerned by beauty and art and literature -- someone who could see all those as paths to the Divine. Steve saw value in men and women paying the price to write down their thoughts and ideas. He saw value in people living all different kinds of lives in the power of God. Steve pointed at all these people and showed how Christ was enthroned in each of them. Some of them were famous people, some were our friends. Steve showed us the stories in the Bible, and he taught effectively from them, the principles of God, and at all times qualified himself and operated w enough checks and balances to assure that he was keeping it as pure as possible, and not merely advancing his own ideas. He often urged us to ask God for ourselves, to ask better questions and not settle for easy answers. Steve was therefore, a good teacher, being a faithful steward of what God had shown him to share with others. Steve taught us about the presence of the angels and saints. He telescoped in on special moments in the lives of certain heroes of the faith like Andrew, whose hymn to the cross Steve often praised. He taught us about our identity in Christ and how we are mystically united in Him. Steve took in strays, both human and animal. Steve, loved animals by the way, knowing that their creator, who is Perfect Love, loved them in the most perfect way. How could he lose them? How could anything God made and loved ever become lost to him? Steve taught this. Steve taught forgiveness and demonstrated it. Steve taught us that we have power to affect the lives of others through God. He urged us to step out and use this power, all the while relying on God. Steve taught us to pray and seek God. Steve taught take ownership of the wounds that others inflicted on us and to bless others through them. He taught us about redemptive suffering. He taught us about the power of forgiveness. He taught us that we were God's children. He taught us to nurture that part of us that responds to God like a child. He urged us to study the scriptures. He taught the Bible in a historical and cultural light. He illuminated principles that stuck. He also brought out the personalities of bible characters in ways that made them present to us. Not merely as facts, but as the real persons they are. Steve never was fake. Steve thinks logically and systematically. Steve is a great teacher. Steve is a great commentator on films. When Steve talks about a book he read or a film he has seen that touched him, he will open up some insight that will captivate and reel you in. Well, those are a few things about Steve that I always remember. There are many more I'm sure, but it's real, real late.